Can we screen for pelvic organ prolapse without a physical examination in epidemiologic studies?
Barber MD; Neubauer NL; Klein-Olarte V Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA. OBJECTIVE: Large population-based epidemiologic studies of pelvic organ prolapse are rare. One barrier is the need for physical examination in order to confirm disease status. The objectives of this study were to develop a simple screening question for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and to evaluate its test characteristics in high and low prevalence populations. STUDY DESIGN: Data from 100 women enrolled in the validation study of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI) were used to identify the question or questions that most accurately identified women with advanced pelvic organ prolapse. After identifying an accurate and reliable screening question from this original group, its test characteristics were evaluated prospectively in 2 additional distinct populations: a group of 120 women presenting to a tertiary care urogynecology clinic (High prior proba
